WOOH Manager Amanda Johnson is exactly where she wants to be

Amanda Johnson graduated from Pella’s Central College in 2010 with a Business major and a Not-for-Profit minor. Today she uses both her major and minor to manage The Work of Our Hands (WOOH) International Crafts in Pella, Iowa.

Two years after graduation she was appointed to the WOOH Board of Directors, and soon became its chair. In 2014 she began working part-time creating social media for the store. It was a great match. And when Manager Cheryl Newendorp retired in 2016, Amanda was the perfect candidate for the job.

Under Amanda’s leadership, the store added quilling cards to its product line, and those cards are now the top-selling product in the store. In 2021, WOOH launched a website, making its products available online. “Marketing experts tell us a website is now the front door of your business,” Amanda said.

In 2021, WOOH had a record-sales year. Amanda is quick to credit her team for the successes of the store. “The growth is not just because of me,” she said. “We have a store ‘family’ of 20 volunteers who help with customer service, bookkeeping, and social media. Our assistant manager, Anna Allen, arranges all of our product displays. She’s takes care of the artistic side; I’m more the scientific, details side of the business.”

Amanda sees her role as more than just a job. “I have many blessings being born in the US,” she said. “I don’t have to worry about enough food for my family as some women do. Managing a fair-trade store is a way to give back.”